Midland Scoutmasters weigh-in on gay Scouts, leaders

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, January 31, 2013

David Chapman, executive director for the Boy Scouts in the West Texas region. James Durbin/Reporter-Telegram

David Chapman, executive director for the Boy Scouts in the West Texas region. James Durbin/Reporter-Telegram

Photo: JAMES DURBIN

Midland Scoutmasters weigh-in on gay Scouts, leaders

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Troop 84 Scoutmaster Jim Andrews is among local Scout leaders strongly opposed to the potential removal of a restriction against gays in the Boy Scouts of America.

After the BSA announced Monday that discussions were under way on lifting the long-standing ban, Andrews said he would consider resigning from his position in the troop sponsored by St. Anne’s Catholic Church.

“Scouts are held to a higher moral code than an average person,” he told the Reporter-Telegram on Wednesday. “I don’t believe gays are permissible to be part of a Christian attitude of Scouting.”

Andrews said his beliefs align with the BSA’s biblical-based principles, which have been present since the group’s inception. By lifting the restriction, the BSA goes against those ideas, he said.

The BSA would consider giving troop sponsors — such as churches and civic groups — the authority to decide whether to allow gay Scouts and leaders.

But Shari Johnson, president of the Odessa chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), said while the change is long overdue, it merely would absolve the BSA of any responsibility and is “a chicken way out.” The BSA should remove the restriction across all troops and require all to comply, she said.

Johnson, the mother of a gay daughter, said the exclusion is a form of bullying that increases depression and suicide in gay children and confirms their greatest fears.

“They start having a (feeling of) self-loathing that people must be right about them because they can’t be any different,” she said. “That’s the message the Boy Scouts have been sending, and it’s wrong.”

The Buffalo Trail Council’s new executive director, David Chapman, said he does not expect troop changes but agrees a dialogue on this topic is necessary.

“I just think we’ve reached a point that it became an issue that needed to be revisited,” he said.

While cities such as San Francisco may greatly benefit from this policy change, Chapman said West Texas cities may not.

Other Scoutmasters in Midland have voiced their concerns on this impending change.

John Nelson, who has led Troop 232 — sponsored by First Baptist Church of Midland — for more than 10 years, said he is disappointed in the BSA’s “compromising position.”

He said he is concerned that gay Scout leaders may “recruit” children to live gay lifestyles or engage in inappropriate conduct. However, if leaders abide by BSA policy to refrain from one-on-one contact with Scouts, then having gay leaders would probably not be an issue.

Billy Priebe, scoutmaster for Troop 152 — sponsored by First United Methodist Church — said he’s concerned more as a parent than as a Scout leader. While sexual misconduct is not a large concern, he said he is not comfortable with his children having a gay Scout leader because of his religious beliefs.

Even if the restriction is removed in this “no-win situation,” he said the troop’s stance on gays likely would remain unchanged.

Chapman is unsure how this controversy will spin with other parents but said the council will ensure the Scouts’ best interest. Scouts are taught tolerance, leadership and citizenship skills, with education remaining the organization’s key goal, he said.

“I’d hate to see Scouting’s mission get lost because of (this issue),” he said.